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Saul Anuzis
Background * http://www.anuzisforchair.com/ Insights GOP warned to embrace technology or face 'suicide' : From CNN, via an email in December 2008 When Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis decided to throw his hat in the ring to head the Republican Party, he announced his intentions on an unlikely forum: Twitter. Not too long ago, the social networking Web site most popular among teenagers and 20-somethings was probably the last place you would expect to find a candidate for the Republican National Committee chairmanship. But then Barack Obama's presidential campaign appeared to revolutionize the way technology could be integrated into every facet of a campaign -- from fundraising to media outreach to voter mobilization. The result was a Democratic Party that outpaced its rival in nearly every measure -- in the process revealing how detrimental the GOP's apparent lack of tech fluency proved to be on Election Day. The Republican Party is playing catch-up, hoping to compete with Democrats in the next two pivotal election cycles. "It would be suicide for the Republican Party and conservatives to not aggressively embrace technology," said Matt Lewis, a writer for the conservative Web site Townhall.com. "The world is dramatically changing in the way people get their information and the way they communicate -- the party needs to change with it." The battle for the future of the party is playing out in the unexpectedly competitive race for the chairmanship of the RNC -- which faces the task of rebuilding the party's grass-roots infrastructure and voter outreach programs ahead of the 2010 midterm elections. In addition to Anuzis, five other candidates already have declared their intention to seek the chairmanship: former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson, current RNC Chairman Mike Duncan, former Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chip Saltsman and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. The race decided by the 168 RNC committee members used to be determined in the proverbial smoke-filled room -- behind closed doors and far from the average conservative activist. But in a sign of how technology already has transformed the fundamental dynamics of the party, each of the six candidates appears to be campaigning as if the job were a popularly elected office -- unveiling sleek Web sites, circulating e-mail pitches to supporters and holding conference calls with members of the media and conservative bloggers. It's a process political observers note is similar to the one that presaged former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's ascension to the Democratic chairmanship in 2005 -- a tenure marked largely by advances in how that party adopted technology to strengthen its outreach across states where Democrats hadn't been competitive. "Like in '05, bloggers see this as a symbolic but important step toward taking the party back from the insiders who have been messing things up," Lewis said. "Conservative bloggers are for the first time having a voice and influencing the debate. This has led to more transparency." The heavy influence of online activists, conservative bloggers and young Republicans disheartened that Obama resoundingly won their age demographic has resulted in a race for the GOP chairmanship largely revolving around who's best positioned to bolster the party's tech proficiency. The six declared candidates all keep active on Twitter, along with Facebook and a host of other sites, seemingly caught in an at-times comedic contest of who possesses the most online bona fides. It's a clear sign the candidates know that the party is in need of a technology overhaul, said Patrick Ruffini, an online Republican strategist and veteran of President Bush's 2000 campaign and the RNC. But Ruffini said the mere fact that RNC candidates use social media doesn't necessarily mean they are prepared to integrate it into every corner of the party. "The Internet is not just blogs and Twitter," he recently said on the blog "The Next Right." "New media is a big world. ... The hard part is integrating new media in everything the organization does, using it to transform volunteer recruitment or open a new eight- and nine-figure revenue stream. Those are the big challenges the next RNC chairman needs to be worrying about." Ruffini, along with other conservative activists, is the author of "Rebuild the Party," an online manifesto and road map of sorts he believes the GOP needs to follow if it hopes to stay competitive with Democrats. The No. 1 priority of the 10-point plan is a full-scale embrace of the Internet at the grass-roots level -- a model Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee implemented so successfully in 2008. So far, three RNC candidates formally have endorsed the plan -- Anuzis, Saltsman and Blackwell -- but Ruffini said he hopes all of them will adopt the general goal. "We need to create a culture in which we think about these things," Ruffini told CNN. "It's going to be the most important issue organizationally going forward." Details Bio (harvested from site in December 2008) Saul Anuzis is not your typical Republican State Chairman. He is an unabashed Reagan-conservative with strong opinions about the role of government. He is also one of the most tech savvy chairmen in the country. The phrases often used to describe him include “constantly inmotion”, “whirlwind”, “true believer” and “man with a plan”. He joined the Teamsters union and rides a Harley Road King. But he leaves the Harley home when he's campaigning so he can Twitter, blog and blackberry on the road. He is also a Boy Scoutmaster and a hockey dad. And, he is as committed to the Republican Party's conservative roots as he once was to the liberation of Lithuania, the country his parents fled before seeking the American dream in Detroit, Michigan. Saul is a believer in the core principles of Republicanism. They are the reason he became a Republican. He certainly wasn't born into it. Saul grew up in a working class neighborhood in Detroit. He played in the streets with the kids of other autoworkers. He saw Ronald Reagan speak to those workers with a message that spoke to him as well. And he knows that, until we reach those voters again, Republicans will not win. Saul attended the University of Michigan, Dearborn, where he studied economics. To help pay his way through college, Saul loaded trucks and was a member of the Teamsters Union. It was in college that he got his first taste of politics. There, he helped found a College Republican chapter and served as Student Government President. In 1980, Anuzis was elected as one of the youngest delegates to the Republican National Convention. He went on to attend President Reagan's first inaugural ceremony that next January. Soon thereafter, he was elected Third Vice Chair of the Michigan Republican Party, and also served two terms as a Congressional District Chairman, precinct delegate and candidate for public office. Throughout the 1980's Saul worked in the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate for Senator Dick Posthumus of Grand Rapids. Posthumus would eventually become Senate Majority Leader, Lt. Governor and the party's nominee for Governor in 2002. Saul found himself drawn to Jack Kemp's free market/empowerment philosophy and played a key role in the Michigan effort for Kemp in 1988. In 1990, Anuzis took a break from politics to focus on his family and business interests. Today, Saul and his business partner own Quick Connect USA, a telecommunications firm providing local, long distance, VOIP, Internet, and data services to residential and small businesses throughout Michigan. Anuzis serves as Chairman of the company but is currently on a leave of absence and maintains no day-to-day responsibilities due to his responsibilities to the Michigan Republican Party. In 2005 and again in 2007, Saul was unanimously elected Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. In 2007, he was appointed to the Executive Committee of the Republican National Committee, and, he served on the Committee on Arrangements for the 2008 Republican National Convention. During his time as Michigan Chairman, Saul has actively cultivated relationships with members of the Republican National Committee all across the country. His daily blogs and regular updates are a source of up-to-the-minute information for Michigan activists and national GOP activists as well. In addition, Saul is a regular contributor to many other right-of-center blogs, and has been recognized by many as one of the most tech savvy of the state GOP chairmen for his use of the latest web tools to communicate with supporters. Saul is particularly proud of his Lithuanian family's history. His parents and grandparents both received the Righteous Among the Nations award from Israel's National Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, for helping, among others, three young girls escape from a Jewish ghetto during World War II. After the war, Anuzis' family came to America, where a priest gave his father a set of 19 books on how to become an electrician, a difficult task for a man who was learning to read and speak English at the same time. His father then spent 32 years as a skilled tradesman and UAW member at the Fleetwood Fisher Body Plant on Fort Street in Detroit. Anuzis is actively involved in several Lithuanian-American organizations and serves on several non-profit boards. He currently serves as the Republic of Lithuania's Honorary Consul to Michigan. He was also a Gubernatorial Appointee to the Michigan Jobs Commission and the Michigan Export Development Authority. Saul has been married for 23 years to Lina (Alksninis) Anuzis. They have four sons. Matas attends Michigan State University, Tadas and Vytis are in high school at Lansing Catholic Central, and Marius attends Resurrection Middle School. The family resides in Lansing, Michigan. Anuzis, Saul category:technology